You and Me in Time
by idreamedofstardust
Summary: Commanded by Sophie-Anne, Eric is to interrogate and find the reason why a human brutally murdered a vampire in his area. With grounds to kill her afterward, Eric sees no problems. Until the horrifying truth slowly becomes uncovered.
1. Chapter 1

**Bit of a side project that turned into a story idea. The setting : sometime between the end of season 2 and season 3. Except, Bill was never kidnapped. None of the events of season 3 are happening actually. And if they do, I'll mention it when it's needed. Otherwise, everything is kind of honky dory. Eric is holding a reluctant interest in Sookie, but I'll say this straight away - they will not be a couple in this story. This story, btw, will get a bit dark, exploring the thirst for revenge, what obsession leads to, and what exactly preconceived notions gain us. Eric will not be as nice in the beginning of this story. Remember, he's a Viking turned vampire who murdered ruthlessly for hundreds of years. According to him, his methods are only barbaric because his moves are monitored. He's still a bad ass. But he won't be all out cruel. I think that's the interesting thing about him. There's still humanity fighting inside him a thousand years later. Alright then. Let's begin.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"I cannot even begin to fathom how you were not aware of this. It happened in your area."

Eric Northman bit back all callous remarks as Queen Sophie-Anne continued her fearless pacing.

"I was preoccupied with more urgent matters. Such as keeping all eyes on Bill Compton so your little secret doesn't come out."

Sophie-Anne paused at this, her eyes narrowing.

"He has told no one," Eric reassured. "But only because he knows there will be repercussions."

Closing her eyes lethargically, Sophie-Anne slumped back on a table.

"Surely Compton's movements didn't require all of your attention," she tried evenly.

For a moment, the blonde said nothing. But, his silence spoke words.

"Whoever she is, I may just have to risk a peek at her. Or perhaps," Sophie-Anne continued, shooting to her feet, "a taste?"

Eric's fangs were out before his mind comprehended the action.

"Oh, she must be important if you're going to defend her honor," Sophie-Anne goaded, her eyes shining.

Shaking his head, Eric retracted his fangs.

"She is nothing but a human amusement. Her optimism is something I intend to break," the Viking promised.

Sophie-Anne calculated his posture.

"I would hope that is all she was. I'd hate to see you become...attached."

The blonde vampire just barely bit back a snarl, and Sophie-Anne smiled at this. Soon after, however, her features shifted back into agitation, reminding Eric of the trouble he was in.

"When were you made aware of the situation?" she asked again.

Gliding past the bar area, Eric tilted his head. He understood quite clearly that lying was not an option. Unfortunately, his answer was almost worse.

"Not until last night."

"Last night?" Sophie-Anne fumed, disbelief raging in her eyes. "You are this area's Sheriff, Eric. You are responsible for the vampires who come and go. How did you not know a vampire was murdered in your area? By a human, no less?"

Eric opened his mouth to respond, but Sophie-Anne threw up a dismissive hand.

"I heard this information on the night it occurred, from a Sheriff in Mississippi and eventually, Daniela, your fellow Sheriff of Area 3. The human fled after the murder and Daniela picked up the vampire's blood all over her. Now I do not mind hearing this information from Daniela. The human was captured under her area and she did as was procedure. But to have a Sheriff, from Mississippi no less, come down and demand me to apprehend a human with premeditated intent to kill a vampire, is truly too humiliating for even a vampire such as yourself to comprehend. And now you tell me these events that happened within _your_ area, weren't made aware to you until last night. Tell me why I should not dismiss you from your position immediately."

Surprisingly, Eric stayed stoic throughout the chastising.

"Three nights ago was a...great mistake. I take full responsibility for not being aware of the human, nor the danger posed to the vampire."

The Queen's eyes regressed into a harsh stare, but she didn't lose focus immediately.

"A simple apology won't cut it this time," she determined. "And yes, yes, you know my little secret. But what good is that knowledge when you are ousted from your position? Your words would simply be a bitter quip at my decision."

The blonde remained silent. For a moment, he thought to blame Sookie Stackhouse for the deviance from his work. But then he realized it was he who willingly focused his attentions on to her. And quite ironic timing as well.

"Throughout all of this, however, I've found that over these years, you've proved yourself worthy to me. And loyal," she gathered after a moment.

Arching a brow, Eric watched Sophie-Anne stalk back and forth. A perfectly manicured finger tapped away at her chin.

"I'll have to explain all of this to Russell, of course. His Sheriff informed him immediately of the situation. How I loathe that egotistical, ancient bastard," she mumbled, not quite aware of Eric's presence for a moment.

"You say the murderer is apprehended," Eric mentioned, wishing Pam had given him more information about the confrontation - especially since he was on the receiving end of the Queen's fury. "They are dead, I assume?"

"No," Sophie-Anne mentioned. "Not yet. Which is why your mistake can still be made right. The last thing I need is the Magister to get word of this. Then he'll investigate and sniff around. Might even find something we don't want him to. The Sheriff of Mississippi won't say a word, of course, but Russell will take more persuading."

"What do you suggest, then?" Eric asked, knowing the Queen's orders were necessary, if he didn't want her making anymore unannounced visits to Fangtasia.

"Now that's just it. I'm truly at a loss," she marveled. "The vampire wasn't anyone too prominent. Former Sheriff of Arkansas, but that's hardly anything to be proud about."

"Perhaps torturing the human may ease tensions?" Eric offered.

"Initially, I was thinking execution."

Eric smiled at the admittance. Sophie-Anne hardly got truly bloodthirsty. Despite her nonchalance on the dead vampire's position, the death must have been gruesome for her to consider giving out an order to murder a human. She tended to be one who associated willingly and fondly with them.

"This surprises me," he noted. "You are usually in good terms with the humans."

The Queen observed her fingers for a moment.

"When it comes down to it, I value one of our own over one of theirs. Besides, others will question my rule if I were to let the murderer go unharmed."

"So what do you wish me to do?"

Again, the woman pondered. Eric wasn't sure why she insisted on dragging out the inevitable. Had he been made aware of the situation three days ago, the human would be far worse than dead.

"I want to know why she murdered the vampire. Isaac, I think his name was."

Pausing, Eric studied Sophie-Anne carefully.

"It is a woman?" he questioned.

"My surprise was far more subtle than yours. But yes. Isaac was nearing 400 hundred years as well. Rather old for one to so carelessly become slaughtered. That is why I want to know why she murdered him. This entire situation displeases me greatly. And piques my curiosity just as well. Some scrawny, young adult managing to overpower a former Sheriff. Daniela is currently holding on to her. Which brings me to the second curious thing. Glamor does not work on our little murderer."

Immediately, Sophie-Anne had Eric's full attention.

"She is immune?" he asked.

"No," Sophie-Anne disagreed. "Not completely immune. Daniela has managed to coax her into eating. Considering what's to be done to her, I can see why the poor doll has no appetite. But anytime Daniela attempts to gather information about Isaac and her association with him, the woman's mind is inept. It simply refuses to listen to the command."

The blonde calmed himself.

"You find this interesting," he observed.

"Very. I've heard of minds shutting others out or learning to create force fields. But this murkiness in her mind is entirely new. And you are going to break her down, torture her if you must - so we can learn why a murder took place under your watchful eye...which I've noted, has been straying."

Eric understood the threat of the last words. It was moments like these he prided himself in having managed strict control over his emotions. Otherwise, vampires would continuously recognize weakness. And that was something he buried long ago.

Sophie-Anne's request was no such thing. It was a command.

"Daniela is outside the club right now with the human. She is your responsibility as of now. If she tries to run, do what you must."

Nodding, Eric followed Sophie-Anne to the entrance.

"Eric," she warned, watching him with one hand on the handle, "once you find out this woman's motives, report to me. Most likely, I'll order her death. No family has stepped forth to worry about."

"It shouldn't take long," he predicted. "Humans often reach an emotional point at which they break. I expect you will have an answer to your question in no less than two nights."

Sophie-Anne laughed.

"Don't disappoint."

And with that, the Queen strolled out of Fangtasia.

"Pam!" Eric yelled. From the parking lot, he picked up Sophie-Anne slipping into her limo, and the sound of another car door opening.

"Yes, Eric?" Pam called back.

He turned to watch her strut up the basement stairs, fumbling with black gloves.

"How is it you were made aware of the human murdering Isaac in my area?"

"A reliable source," she answered slowly, her eyes daring him to scold her for having the knowledge before him. "This source was quite eager to discuss what occurred, considering the great damage Isaac was left in after the girl was done with him. Decapitated him, and then attempted to burn his body after severing off his...bits. What a devious little disaster."

Forcing back a grimace, Eric listened to the approaching of feet slamming against concrete.

"We're not opening tonight. Make sure the basement is clear."

"Just when I get these fucking things on?" she sighed, hands covered tightly with the latex material.

"Your humor is much appreciated, Pam. But not tonight. Make sure the basement is clear before my guest arrives," he commanded.

With one last glance, Pam retreated back down the steps. Eric was sure a few unkind words were being spurred out her lips. But he needed Sophie-Anne to trust in him. Not perceive him as a threat, nor take interest in his life all of a sudden.

A part of him knew without the shadow of a doubt, he was protecting Sookie from the Queen's wandering eyes. If she found out what the blonde waitress was capable of, there would no longer be a life in Bon Temps for her. And this admittance was difficult to swallow. Was he really taking the time to keep Sookie safe?

The more he thought about it, the less he liked the answer. So, he deferred instead to his guest of honor. Or dishonor. By getting the truth out of the human, sealed him a firm position among Sophie-Anne's high rank. A rank that offered protection from being observed, and allowed him to be the observer once more.

_Perhaps I may even discover why she cannot be glamored...if such a thing is possible._

He didn't worry about the other details regarding what would happen to her after he was done. If Sophie-Anne harbored a personal intent to have the human killed, he wasn't going to argue.

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><p><strong>Just want to mention...Eric did torture and tear that guy in half in his basement in episode 1 of season 2. The one who set fire to the three vampires house. In my head, I see him very capable of carrying out dark tasks. Not around Sookie, of course. He needs her trust for some reason! Well, I hope you found that interesting enough to add it to story alert or review. I promise that the story is only beginning (obviously). <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all who added it on story alert, and to those who reviewed. I guess I forgot to mention that the person who murdered the vampire and the subject of the story, is an OC of mine. No one from the series. Also, the story will be based around the relationship she shares with Eric and he with her. But I'm glad people have stuck around. I was just rereading my first chapter last night and thinking how boring it was. Who would ever add this to story alert? But I know some of you are reviewers from "White Elephant...' and the fact that you're continuing to read my work and put your trust in me, really, really makes me feel like a good writer. An eternal thanks to you all. An so we continue. Bit of violence in this one. Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Eric studied the human without a single emotion on his face. Not that he believed her capable of picking one out anyway.

"Your name is Natalie Warren?"

His voice echoed domineeringly through the basement, making the question sound more of a confirmed statement. However, the human barely spared him a glance. In actuality, she'd hardly risked a glance at anything since Daniela chained her tightly to the wall.

"You don't have to worry about her escaping," Daniela had mentioned, frosty green eyes scanning over Natalie. "The bone in her ankle is displaced. Nearly had to carry her here."

Unfortunately, the Sheriff had left before Eric could ask any more questions.

He didn't particularly care to know Natalie Warren. Only the essentials. But, he supposed that's how humans opened up. Talking about the simple things at first.

"I am Natalie Warren," she confirmed, her voice weak in comparison to Eric's.

Nodding, Eric ventured forward a few steps. His eyes trailed over the woman's tangled, black hair. In certain areas, entire chunks had been cut off, giving Natalie the appearance of a ghoulish gypsy.

Despite the darkness of the basement, Eric observed deep cuts forced on the insides of the woman's wrists. They were too uneven to be a suicide attempt and he briefly wondered if Daniela had messed around with the human a bit before handing her off. The cuts were just barely healed over and could very easily tear open if she strained her arms too much against the shackles.

Of course, these cuts weren't the only confusing feature upon her. Bruises, some thick blue ones, others a pale, blotchy brown, scattered over her neck and brushed into her hairline. The right side of her jaw appeared bruised as well, as did her eye. An iron blue surrounded it, giving the equally blue spark inside her iris, an ironic jolt.

Her lip was torn at, t-shirt ripped and mangled, exposing pale flesh to his wandering eyes. This flesh held no excitement for him, though. It presented itself in a manner of being ill kept. As if the woman hadn't bathed in months. If there had been a smell emerging from her, Eric would have forced her to take a shower. But despite her ghastly appearance, she did not wreak.

The biggest distraction to any passerby would be the blood. It was a rusted scarlet at this point, but seeped into her white t-shirt and torn blue jeans in equal, vast amounts. He guessed she hadn't changed since murdering Isaac three nights ago.

"Do you understand your crime?" he asked.

For a few seconds, the basement stayed eerily silent. Natalie still refused to meet his gaze, but her fingers clenched together now and again - attempting to bring heat to her frozen body. The chains clinked against the stone wall at her ministration, sending booming vibrations throughout the room.

"The police don't decide my punishment?" she questioned back, staring at the opposite wall.

"Their punishment is a slap on the wrist."

Natalie nodded, but remained silent.

"If you tell me what I need to know, I'll see your punishment to be mild."

Suddenly, Natalie turned to him, bloodshot eyes wide and raw lips parted. The look alone should have warned him something was off about the entire situation. But, he ignored it.

"Please, don't patronize me. I'm not a complete idiot," she softly proclaimed, her electric blue eyes wandering over his form. "After you find out why I killed him, you'll kill me in return. Your policies aren't that much different than humans."

"You are not remorseful for this murder?"

"No," Natalie agreed, her voice strengthening, but not rising. "No, I'd kill him a thousand times over."

"My friends are none too pleased about humans who feel like murdering vampires 'a thousand times over'."

"Maybe you need different friends," she trailed off quietly, eyes falling back to the grey wall.

Perplexed at the comment, Eric sped over to the woman. She barely gave him a glance, but recognized his presence all the same.

"Natalie, I want you to look at me."

Carefully, the woman lifted her gaze to meet Eric's. The dead blue in her eyes didn't register to him immediately.

"Now, I order you to tell me why you murdered Isaac. Did you become jealous because he took another lover? Were you enthralled with his money? Power? Or did you just feel like murdering a vampire?"

He kept his voice soothing and natural. Most importantly, he waited. Patience was key.

For a moment, he only watched her mouth fall open, then closed.

"You wouldn't understand. As silly as those words are, they are nothing but the truth. Kill me, I don't care anymore. Just please don't ask me to tell you what occurred when you're not ready, nor willing to hear it."

Before Natalie could glance away, Eric slammed her back into the wall. Her head bounced off the cement, a crack immediately sprouting as blood trickled down the back of her neck. Unable to push away due to her manacled hands, she watched tiredly as he wrapped one hand around her throat and traced another down to her leg. Over the bloodied denim, past a few swollen tears, and finally to her ankle.

With a firm push, Eric latched on to the displaced bone and gave it a firm squeeze.

To his amazement, Natalie barely gave a wince.

"Tell me what happened," he ordered, his blue eyes an Arctic ice.

When she remained mute, he tightened his grip. Natalie's eyes blasted shut from the harsh touch, but not a single noise traveled from her closed lips.

"Tell me or I promise to personally amputate this foot."

"Do it," she breathed out through clenched teeth.

For a moment, Eric studied Natalie, unsure whether to break her ankle or not.

"Tell me and this pain will cease," he bargained.

Shaking her head, Natalie threw out a humorless laugh.

"Nothing you could do could possibly compare," she moaned.

Eric's grip tightened once more, forcing wheezes to fall from her lips. Eventually, her eyes swung back open.

And the look she gave out froze Eric in place. He was reminded instantly of it's haunting familiarity. Lifetimes ago.

It was the same look his mother had petrified on her face after death.

Recoiling, the blonde dropped his hands and back peddled a few feet. Before him, Natalie coughed up some blood.

_In the centuries I've killed, they've never given me a look like that. The understanding in her eyes...as if she's seen death and beyond._

Brushing off the thought angrily, Eric's fangs shot out. Perhaps a different type of persuasion was in order.

Natalie barely had any time to defend herself before the blonde was in front of her again, body pressed with a sick intimacy, into hers. She coughed at the contact, her eyes tearing up as more blood spilled from her lips.

Eric flung away strands of hair blocking her bruised neck, ready to bite in. Or at least scare her enough to where she'd talk. What he saw within the bruises, however, forced him to retract his fangs.

Staring back at him within the murky bruises were puncture wounds. Invisible from a great distance, they expanded from just below her ear, all the way to her collar bone. And not only one set either. Just on the side facing him, Eric counted seven bites - distorted and mashed into her skin. Some weren't even near a vein. They looked like a vampire had decided to bite not for the blood, but for amusement.

For a moment, he was at a loss. Not just at seeing the marks, but with the human in general. No remorse for the killing where most humans would plead with all they had to live. Badly wounded from what he initially assumed was by her own hand or as a result of Isaac fending her off from his attack. Couldn't glamor her. Now that was a strange sensation. It reminded him of Sookie, but at the same time, the experience was completely foreign. Followed by her near steel resolve when he'd nearly broken her ankle. Not even a whimper.

And now the multiple bites on her neck.

With a far gentler hand, Eric pushed Natalie's head to the opposite side and observed the same erratic biting. This time, a good eight set of wounds showed like bright, red eyes within the brown-blue bruising of her skin.

His eyes glanced down to meet hers, and the same dead blue from before, watched him. There was no longer fear in them. In fact, he'd venture a guess and say fear had been dissolved long ago.

_Are these really the eyes of a killer?_

This statement was difficult to determine.

"How did you kill Isaac?" he questioned, his lips centimeters away from her forehead. If he'd had breath, it'd be blowing away the black, sweaty strands pasted to her forehead.

She continued to watch him, same deadness residing. But something else sparked inside her irises.

"I called him and he met me here in Louisiana. I never told him where I'd be coming from, and this allowed me to catch him by surprise. I put a wooden bullet through his leg. When he was down, I silvered him. From head to toe. He was a very resilient vampire. Young in years, but not in experience. That's why I had to make sure he couldn't run."

Enthralled, Eric didn't notice his thumb brushing over her neck.

"You cut off his feet?" he gathered.

She nodded.

"I was not aware that was a step you incorporated."

"By the time I began burning the body, an observer would only note that I decapitated his head. And perhaps his penis. Nothing else."

"You cut off other body parts?"

Natalie glanced away, bottom lip trembling.

"How strange this is," she mused lightly, "to be thought a monster in the eyes of monsters. Of course you're not all like that. But a strange feeling, nonetheless."

And after that, quite simply, Natalie shut down.

Eric tried glamor again, but her mind was unreachable. Even with all of the languages he'd mastered, there was not a single word to describe what it felt like. Her mind _was_ there. Physically, at least. But mentally, it was like sinking his fingers into mud, and then the mud - once a solid - morphing into gas.

Peering at his fingers, Eric attempted the glamor again, but found the same despondent wasteland as before.

Her eyes were wide and unfocused, staring at everything, then at nothing.

Before meeting her, Eric would have tried breaking her down. Not entirely, but to the point where she had little willpower.

Upon further observation, he almost gathered this had already happened. Only far past the point he'd ever bring her.

The ease at which she described murdering Isaac, made him believe she knew the vampire and hated him dearly.

_I have been assuming Isaac has been the unfortunate recipient of her hate. Perhaps it is the other way around._

Unfortunately, with the catatonic state Natalie had immersed herself in; Eric was unable to reach her.

What could he with anyway? Physical threat gave her no fear. Glamoring hardly fazed her. And what little patience he had for her, disappeared as soon as she refused to tell him why she murdered the former Sheriff.

Drinking in the bites once more, Eric tipped up Natalie's chin. A vague stare met his eyes.

Retreating, Eric turned toward the basement stairs.

_She won't be going anywhere, anytime soon. But these accommodations are unfit if I wish to interrogate her tomorrow._

"Pam," he called.

His progeny was at the top of the stairs in seconds. Her eyes peered through the darkness and stopped when they reached Natalie's hanging, limp form.

"Don't tell me you're into fucking things deader than you," she observed, head tilted.

Eric frowned, but Pam only smirked in reply.

Switching to his native language just in case the human was picking any of it up, Eric said, "I'd like you to clean this woman up."

Stomping down the steps, Pam's eyes bounced between Natalie and Eric.

"Without using your tongue," he added.

"She looks like death already. I do not think even cleaning her will do good."

"I certainly don't wish to talk to her in her current state. This is a command."

"Just as long as you don't expect me to be doing this for all of your conquests," she noted with distaste, speeding to Natalie.

Just as Pam was ready to carry the weak woman upstairs, Eric stopped her.

"If anyone asks, do not inform them that we have this woman," he said, meeting Pam's eyes.

Glancing down, Pam curiously studied the human.

"Your demands only get stranger as the years go by."

"Yet you feel obliged to follow them."

Pam shrugged.

"Whatever you're involved in, you can tell me."

"Nothing much to say. This is Natalie Warren. She murdered the vampire Isaac in some town a hundred miles from the Louisiana border."

Raising an eyebrow, Pam scanned over the weight in her arms once more.

"Sophie-Anne wishes for me to gather why Natalie murdered the vampire."

"And then?" Pam asked.

"Then this human dies."

"Tragic," she mentioned.

"She is still a murderer, Pam. Of our own race. It could have just as easily been you she'd stumbled into."

"I would never be so stupid. And personally, I don't believe this Natalie would either. If you trust me to take her out of the basement, then you're probably thinking she's not as guilty as initially believed."

Eric was on the verge of divulging the strange attributes he'd discovered within Natalie. But, he refrained. He needed another night of interrogation before admitting to his progeny that the human woman wasn't easy to decipher.

"By the time you come back with her, I'll have a bed set up. Ginger will feed her in the morning and during lunch."

"Just what we need. Another animal for our zoo," Pam quipped. "Will you be opening the club tomorrow?"

"Not tomorrow. I need another night with her, alone. Fully awake and lucid."

"How gentlemanly," she mocked.

"Get out of here."

Pam threw him a ravishing smirk before fleeing up the stairs.

Eric watched the retreat, pondering over his next actions.

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><p><strong>Hope that was remotely interesting. Let me know your thoughts in a review. Yes, I'm a firm believer that Eric wouldn't differentiate female captors from male. Well, maybe a tiny bit. <strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow, thank you for the reviews. Honestly, they kind of make me nervous. Since some of you really do like how it's going so far, I'm starting to panic about screwing up. Gah! But I guess I've only got what's in my head and my computer. If that's not good enough...ah well. Enjoy this next chapter.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

When Eric was sure Pam had departed, he dialed the number of Louisiana Sheriff of Area 3.

"What do you want, Eric?"

"You were in the company of Natalie Warren for three nights. Describe her actions to me."

"Void. Nice."

"Nice?"

"Yes. Never screamed or thrashed or complained. Any questions I asked her, besides the most obvious one, she answered," Daniela explained. "Why are you asking, Viking?"

"I don't believe it's your concern."

"Oh, please. The Queen has already ordered her death. I can only think a handful of reasons why she handed off the human to you. Everyone's curious about the million dollar question. Knowing your past, the Queen believes you can get an answer."

Eric paused for a moment.

"Believe what you want," he slowly answered. "Tell me what you know of Natalie."

"Find out yourself."

"The Queen wants this information as well. Do not forget your position."

He could all too well imagine, Daniela snarling at him from the other end. Since their first meeting decades ago, both held a deep mistrust for the other. The animosity was immediate, but neither could properly place the reasoning behind it. Regardless, Daniela was never one of Eric's favorite people to converse with.

"I smelled the blood on her before she stumbled into my area. Wreaked of it," Daniela began grudgingly. "I was meeting with associates of mine not to far from her location. The scent made them hungry. A human covered in vampire blood. Imagine the lust. Eating her would cause public outrage, so I intercepted the human before she became dinner."

"The bruises and cuts were on her already?"

"Yes."

"What do you think caused them?"

"That is not up to me to decide. Her dislocated ankle was partly my fault. She attempted to fight me off, so I brought her on her knees."

"She showed signs of aggression towards you?" Eric questioned curiously.

Perhaps he was going soft on the human because of her physical frailty. He'd known hundreds of killers to be bloodthirsty just because they remained quiet.

"I believe she was in frenzy after the murder. Seeing me didn't help. Not to worry your _dear _little heart out. She didn't attempt to kill me. Just distance herself. She didn't want anyone touching her."

Eric's eyebrows shot together in confusion.

_Perhaps her aggression was not toward all vampires. Just this one._

"She said nothing of the murder?"

"Nothing that would interest you," Daniela coldly replied.

Clenching a fist, Eric brushed off his anger.

"Your help was overwhelming."

"Fuck you, Northman."

He heard the dial tone sound a second later.

EWNEWNEWNEWN

"She's almost decent looking without the blood," Pam noted.

Eric silently agreed, watching Natalie's mouth twist in a distorted frown.

She'd been in deep sleep since Pam had cleaned her off – something he owed her for. Without the blood, every mark was like a shiny trophy on her pale skin. The bites appeared hellish inside the mixed bruises peppering her neck. On the puffy flesh of her arms, the two cuts were slanted in a fresh, new red. Their depth was indeterminable, but if the skin was to break open, there was a high possibility of her bleeding to death. The bruise around her eye and near her jaw, appeared a dismal blue, like diseased patches of skin.

"There are more underneath her clothes," Pam added after a moment. "I noticed them while she was nude. Strangely, it held no appeal for me."

"A woman is nude and you do not find it attractive?"

"She looks like…"

"Yes?"

Pam scanned the sleeping woman's features once more.

"I don't know what to make of her."

"Are the bruises recent?" he questioned, attempting to pick out the areas he hadn't seen yet. Her white t-shirt and black sweatpants covered nearly everything.

He glanced at his progeny when she didn't reply.

"She has no bruises," Pam said, her voice for the first time that night, descending into an emotion other than pleasure. "It appears as if someone took a knife to this human. Tragic, really. She has gorgeous skin."

Eric knelt beside the sleeping woman, a heavy hand falling upon her stomach.

"I wouldn't touch," Pam suggested.

The blonde ignored her, lifting up the t-shirt with a gentleness that even surprised him. When it came to shedding clothes, he had a habit of ripping the fabric to shreds. Not keeping it in one piece.

Just as quickly as he'd lifted it up, Eric covered her stomach once more with a frown.

"Stay with her until I come back."

"The sun comes up in three hours," she warned.

"I will be back by then."

Before she could respond, the Viking was gone.

EWNEWNEWNEWN

"Mr. Northman. What may I do for you on such short notice?"

Eric gestured for the vampire to sit.

"My Queen has informed me you were the Mississippi Sheriff that demanded Natalie Warren be apprehended."

The Sheriff smiled, clasping his hands. The white scar on his face twitched at the action.

"I am. She was a menace to the vampire community."

Eric held back his surprise as he took the seat across from the Mississippi vampire.

"How is it you came to know of her, Simon?"

Adjusting himself, Simon smiled, causing his brown locks to shed years off his face.

"A Fellowship church had been opened a few miles east of Jackson. They were planning an attack in reparation for the incident in Dallas. This Natalie was their secret weapon."

"In what way?"

"She was innocent. You as well as I should know how attractive those with unmarked flesh appear. Initially, she claimed herself to be a victim of parents who were Fellowship members. Wanted to rebel against them. What better way than to go with a bunch of vampires."

"Sexually?"

"I wouldn't know. I didn't care for her. But Isaac was enthralled. He did mention she let him bite her numerous times. And after awhile, he started mentioning plans to get her out of the state. Away from her parents, so they could go and live together."

"Isaac was nearly 400 years old. How is it he became attracted to a human?"

Simon's eyes studied him lazily, his smile serene.

"How is it your maker became a vampire of peace as opposed to the bringer of death?"

Eric stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Isaac cared deeply for Natalie," Simon urged, his brown locks swinging at his nod. "None of us knew she worked for the Fellowship."

Choosing not to reply, Eric studied their surroundings. It was an all night cafe, usually a popular area for vampires. Located just shy of the Louisiana border, it proved to be a neutral zone for neighboring vampires of opposing states.

"When did you find out she worked for the Fellowship?"

Simon bit at his lip, studying the stars above.

"Probably the same time everyone else did. Another spy of theirs tried to infiltrate. They wanted to know why it was taking Natalie so long to detonate the bomb. Her job was to set it off at a local vampire club such as your own. We glamored him and he informed us of Natalie's plans."

"Isaac and Natalie?"

"Gone by this point. He'd convinced her to head south into Louisiana. I guess she finally found her opportunity and took it. What a shame. Isaac was an incredibly generous vampire."

Eric's gaze didn't falter from Simon's for a good two minutes.

"Natalie informed me of calling Isaac. He met with her in my area."

Shrugging, Simon's lips split into a helpless grin.

"Killed by love. He wanted to give it another chance and she just wanted to get her mission completed. Did you know she'd passed on valuable information about us, to Fellowship members? Not only that, but let's look at the details. A senseless crime against a vampire who did nothing but love her. She deserves to die."

The last statement was firm and clearly showed Eric where the Sheriff stood on the issue.

"You were friends with Isaac?"

"Yes," Simon answered. "We had some great times. I think he made a big mistake stepping down from the Sheriff position in Arkansas. These past few years, he just wanted to rekindle that same excitement from before. And he did...for a short time."

Eric shot to his feet.

"Were you aware of the slash marks made by knife, on the human's skin? They were located directly underneath her clothes. Or the stab wounds? Perhaps even the etchings that sliced a good chunk of flesh from her rib cage area?"

Simon stayed stoic, his features revealing nothing.

"She must have much more unstable than I realized," he finally mentioned. "With a wild child like that, you never know how fucking insane they can get."

Eric stared down the Sheriff, calculating even the slightest twitch. But Simon's face remained immaculately blank.

Finally, when no stray emotion appeared, Eric shifted back into a professional posture.

"It was good of you to meet me here."

Simon shot up as well, his wide, brown eyes transforming into eagerness once more.

"You as well, Eric. I trust the Queen will make the right decision."

"Your trust is well placed."

"Is Natalie with her?"

"Sophie-Anne?"

Simon nodded.

"No," Eric said.

"Where is she?"

"The human is at an undisclosed location," Eric slowly informed. "Perhaps being tortured at this very moment. You know how angry the vampire community is at this atrocity."

Simon's nods turned fervent.

"Let me know when the whore is dead."

Surprised, Eric smiled.

"I'll see if I can send you a finger."

The brunette vampire grinned once before giving a nod and speeding away.

Eric's smile fell. In half a second, he sped the opposite way.

EWNEWNEWNEWN

"Almost thought you fried in the sun," Pam commented, scanning him quickly.

"A short meeting with a Sheriff of Mississippi, Simon."

"Oh? What fascinating details has he divulged about our Natalie?"

Eric pondered over the information once more, wondering why not all of it made sense. While being a Fellowship member did entitle her to the proper weapons to murder Isaac, it didn't explain why she hadn't attempted murder on any other vampire in Jackson. Why she chose Isaac, a man Simon had claimed to adore her, confused him as well.

"He claimed she was a spy for the Fellowship who infiltrated the Jackson group of vampires. She met Isaac this way and he took a liking to her."

"A Fellowship member? This just keeps getting better."

"He persuaded her to leave with him to Louisiana"

"And what? She murdered Isaac along the way?"

"Essentially."

"Well," Pam mulled, "not out of the question. You'll interrogate her further tomorrow night?"

"Yes," Eric agreed. "This is the first time a Fellowship member has manged to murder a vampire successfully. The Queen will be interested to know of the progress their organization has made."

But despite the big talk, not even the Viking believed his own words. And that frustrated him more than he cared to admit.

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><p><strong>The secret is becoming unraveled? Stick around to find out. More Eric and Natalie interaction next chapter. Let me know your thoughts in a review. I love hot wings.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for the reviews. Especially the person who mentioned to just keep writing what my ideas give me as opposed to being nervous about what reviewers say. And I know this lesson quite well. But, sometimes you just get suckered into writing more for the fans than for your own idea just because you wish to appease them. Pretty soon, that idea that once was so golden, becomes distorted and you're left with an unfamiliar and uncertain plot. I will make sure that doesn't happen. So, on to the next chapter we go. And I do want to say this - the point of this story is to make you think. There will be evidence presented, words to decipher, actions to determine. You may agree entirely with Eric, or vehemently think he's wrong. I don't want to write from Natalie's POV because she is the center of intrigue. Only her events of what happened, are the true ones. But then you've got to wonder when she's lying, or if she's telling the truth. And what reasons lie behind those actions. Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

"How did the day treat you?"

Natalie's eyes traveled up from her position on the mattress.

"Fine. I liked Ginger. A bit dim, but funny."

Eric reeled back his surprise. Ginger was a fangbanger. He assumed Natalie would have some sort of conflict with the woman because of her own Fellowship views. However, this was not the case.

Venturing down the remainder of the stairs, Eric observed the surroundings.

Over the day, he'd left her unbound. The ankle, especially after his grip on it, was unworkable. Just as well, he'd ordered Ginger and his dayman, Bobby, to make sure the woman was guarded at all times. Both had informed him she had not been a problem.

"You are looking better," he noted, pacing before her slowly.

Grinning, Natalie gave a small shrug. Her eyes traveled down to her arms and one hand gingerly ran across a gruesome cut.

"Thank you," she softly replied.

Gritting his teeth, Eric frowned. Her kindness intermingled with his assumption of her rather annoyingly.

"You did not mention your position as a spy for the Fellowship."

Glancing up, Natalie's indigo eyes squinted.

"As a what?"

"It would not be wise to lie to me, Natalie. I can make your stay here quite uncomfortable."

The human stayed silent, so Eric charged on.

"I talked with a vampire who witnessed you infiltrating his clan. This is how Isaac first met you. And loved you despite your parent's misplaced fanaticism. Yet, you still murdered him despite this."

She blinked at him, uncomprehending the words.

"What was the name of the vampire who told you this?" she questioned.

"Does the answer matter? Your views led you to murder. I cannot understand, however, why you picked Isaac when there were so many others to choose from."

For a moment, Natalie just stared at Eric. Long and hard. As if she'd just discovered him to be vampire.

Finally, she carefully fell back on her elbows and gently eased herself down on the mattress.

"You have your motive," she admitted, pulling at a blanket, "and the trusted word of a vampire. I have nothing else to say."

Eric stalked over to the human and stood beside her calm form.

"The incredible idiocy at which you humans murder, truly puzzles me. Know this - there is a reason why we feed on your race. You are one of those reasons. An undesirable who is nothing."

A few moments passed after Eric's harsh scolding, but Natalie only watched the basement ceiling.

The Viking knelt beside the woman.

"Did these wounds arise from Isaac's need to stay alive while you tortured him?" he questioned, determined to get some sort of answer.

She remained mute.

"You have nothing to hide now. Perhaps admitting your actions will permit you into a false heaven."

"Like Valhalla?"

The blonde stilled, watching Natalie's eyes fall to his.

"I asked Ginger about your heritage. I was curious and I wasn't sure whether you'd willingly tell me, Eric Northman. I like your name, by the way. Ginger wasn't sure of my question, but mentioned Scandinavia. She thought that was somewhere in Africa," Natalie said, smiling at the last thought. "Your build and features appear Norse. Didn't sleep away all of my high school years. Anyway, did you ever think it was odd back in your human life, to believe in an afterlife of constant warring? In comparison to a heaven where nirvana is finally reached?"

Eric didn't reply. His eyes bore down upon the woman, unsure what to make of the words. Or the sudden direction their conversation turned to.

"But I suppose war was all you knew. I wonder if it'd have been different living in an opposite part of the world. Maybe not. Religion was such a dangerous tool back then. As it is now."

The Viking flung out a hand and wrapped it around her throat. Natalie didn't seem surprised at the gesture and did nothing to fend it off. For this reason, he kept his grip reasonably light.

"Why do you not admit to what you've done?" Eric said harshly. "Instead of believing your words can miraculously save you."

Natalie choked out a laugh underneath his hand, the vibrations seeping into the vampire.

"I know there is nothing I can say that can save me, and I've accepted that. But maybe one day, you and I will meet in heaven. Hopefully, it's a peaceful one. I'd really like a rest from this life."

Her words came out wistful and honest.

"Are you a spy for the Fellowship of the Sun?"

"I thought you already had your answer," she assumed.

"Answer the question," Eric demanded.

Natalie scanned his features, searching for something of her own. Although Eric made sure to keep himself vacant of emotions, the human's eyes turned sullen for a brief second. And with her next words, she apparently found what she'd been looking for inside him.

"Yes."

She blinked after this.

"You infiltrated a clan of vampires in Jackson?"

"Yes."

"You planned on setting off a bomb to murder more of my kind?"

"Yes."

"You falsified your story so Isaac would feel sorry for you, thus making it easier for him to love you?"

"Yes."

"You murdered Isaac because of your hateful view regarding vampires?"

"Yes."

"How long were you a member of the Fellowship?"

She paused for a moment.

"I'm not sure. How long did the vampire you talked with, say I was with them?"

Confused, Eric ripped away his hand.

"Why murder Isaac when you had your choice of vampires?" he tried instead.

"Because he was in love with me. That made him vulnerable."

Again, Eric felt unhappy with the answers. The woman was intelligent. And tolerant. She willingly spoke to himself and allowed Pam to touch her. From what he remembered inside the Dallas church, Fellowship members were not nearly as open to this sort of presence. Not even if they were spies.

"Are you lying to me?" he demanded.

"Eric," she decided, meeting his eyes, "what difference does it make if I am? You are ready to see my head on a platter, as everyone else is. Plus, I'm confirming the story of a high ranking vampire. It must be true then. Tell your Queen what you've learned and just let me calmly leave this life behind."

The vampire attempted glamor while she peered at him, but he couldn't even feel a connection this time.

With a frustrated grunt, he sped out of the basement.

Upon noticing the blonde's entrance upstairs, Pam approached him.

"Did you get your answer?" she asked.

"She backs Simon's words," Eric informed.

"How odd," Pam sighed, crossing her arms. "This must have been quite a confrontation if her body has the appearance of a prisoner of war."

"She claims to have silvered Isaac," the blonde mused, "to make sure he did not attack her. I severely doubt she'd have supplied him with a knife to slash at her while she tortured him."

"Well, if the human admitted to Simon's story, talk to the Queen. She has already called for you once."

Eric hesitated, his fingers itching to reach into his pocket for the cell.

Pam noted the hesitance with her eyes and with her body.

"I do not think the story is quite true either," she admitted. "But I also do not think you are going about the right way, trying to get it."

"In what way?" he said, somewhat defensive.

"Over the years, you've had a...oh, how can I put this realistically...preconceived notion of people, especially humans. Although most of your examination of them are true, there are those few who've slipped through your fingers. But you did not mind. They were hardly worth your time. But this woman...she is."

"You are making me sound merciful," Eric confessed with distaste.

"That is certainly not my intention. What I mean to say is - you're an ass."

Eric rolled his eyes, but Pam held out a hand.

"Work with me here, darling. Although the human admitted to the story, you believe there is more to it. To such a degree that you are hesitant about calling the Queen to confirm this. Now, the human will die regardless of what the actual truth is. But your curiosity will not. In fact, I predict it will only rise over time. Especially since she cannot be glamored."

The blonde's eyes found hers.

"How do you know this?"

"You think I didn't try gaining the answer myself when I was alone with her?" she smirked. "This is quite a mystery and Simon's story, while entirely possible, does not match up to the facts. Such as why he did not go after Natalie himself. The Queen claimed the Sheriff had informed her of the human's intentions, but he'd done nothing himself to prevent them. Also, where are these mysterious Fellowship parents of the human? If they are members, they'd have declared war on us after figuring out we'd caught her. At least caused a commotion. Or attempted to step forward. And of course - the markings on her body. Those are not the result of one night. In areas even you have not checked yet, there is evidence of long term...suffering. While on normal circumstances, I would simply turn the other way. Humans tend to get themselves killed just splendidly on their own. But...I do not think there is anything simple about what occurred."

The blonde didn't speak for a while, pondering over everything his progeny said. They were the exact thoughts he'd been reluctant to admit aloud. Even to himself.

But most surprisingly was Pam's support of his hesitancy. She certainly wasn't as soft toward humans as say Sophie-Anne was. Yet, this time was different.

And both of them recognized this. For whatever reason, this time _was_ different. And the real events leading to the murder, suddenly became more important to discover now than they'd been a night before.

To Pam, Eric guessed it was Natalie's body. She masked her indifference well, but he knew she'd been uneasy studying it. Knowing that someone had sliced and abused a woman's body in such a horrifying manner, even caused his progeny to wonder about the wound's origins.

As for himself? Eric really didn't want to divulge any further on that matter. Often, the release of his emotions caused him to remember his humanity all too well. And that conflicted with this supernatural, vicious creature he'd become.

_Valhalla. She spoke so knowingly of this heaven._

Biting back a growl, Eric snapped himself out of this thoughtful musing.

"Let me chat with the human. See if I can wrong the less than formidable impression you've left on her," Pam remarked.

"I hardly think you will gather any further information from her," Eric argued.

"How desperately you want that to be true. I guess we'll see who she likes more," she smiled, a familiar challenge in her eye.

Eric waved off her challenge, and instead, watched her silently descend down the basement stairs, door slamming closed afterward.

Then, his pocket began buzzing. Gathering himself, Eric slipped out the cell, glanced at the caller, then pushed it to his ear.

"Eric. Tell me I will be able to use my guillotine tomorrow night."

"Someone has forgotten to inform you it is no longer 18th century France."

Sophie-Anne laughed.

"It seems like yesterday I was helping lead those revolutionaries to the Bastille. How time flies when blood soars. But you have not answered my question."

"Unfortunately, the answer is no. Without glamor, the human is difficult to read."

"I've heard you met with Simon. This is good. Russell is under the impression that we wish to keep the human alive. Are Simon's version of the events, sound?"

The blonde paused for a moment, wondering how to delicately word his intentions.

"To a degree. But he only wishes death upon her. During tragedy, an angry vampire will say anything to make sure his enemy is vanquished. While I am not opposed to his answers, I am opposed to relying solely on his viewpoint of the matter. It does not completely recount all of the events of the night. And if I wish to prevent such a thing from occurring in my area again, I will know every detail of what occurred."

"I am glad to hear you take your position so seriously. Even as I handed off the human to you, I had my doubts. Not that you wouldn't do whatever it took to get the answer, but because you wouldn't care enough to dig deeper if your instincts were unhappy with the current information. I value your talents very much, Eric. Continue your work and report to me when anything new is uncovered. But time is not unlimited. The community wishes for an action to be taken regarding the crime."

"I understand."

"Good. Do have a pleasant evening."

The blonde responded much of the same, before flipping the cell shut.

_I've got eight hours. Where to begin?_

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><p><strong>Let me know your thoughts in a review!<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**Keep it coming with the reviews. They are lovely to read. Truly. Also, thanks ZebraScarf for noticing the mistake. I slapped myself after fixing it. On to the next chapter we go.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

"What would you like me to ask?"

Eric repeated the directions once more, keeping his eyes steady with his victim's. Or perhaps victim was a bit too rash. Nevertheless, his presence within the church might ignite a war. It was better to have an unsuspecting and innocent bystander venture in and gather the information needed.

"Do you understand your job?"

The spirited redhead nodded; her green eyes wide and determined.

"Report here in a half hour."

She nodded once more before turning away and stepping forth across the street.

Before her stood a church average to any pedestrian passing through. But based on Simon's knowledge of a city east of Jackson with a Fellowship church - Forest, Jackson appeared to be the destination. Not even a full hour east of the capital, the city harbored a sparse amount of vampires. Eric had been able to catch one leaving the city and she confirmed the malicious intent of the church.

"And they think we're the fuckin' freaks," the vampire had spat before speeding away.

In the meantime, Eric was focused on figuring out how long Forest had been Natalie's home. He carried an address attained from a source in Mississippi who owed him greatly. The debt of some werewolves really was quite staggering for all the tension between the two races.

"Don't know why you're wantin' this address, but this better be the last thing you ask of me," the werewolf had mentioned.

Eric only grinned into the receiver.

"You're not in any position to be making any demands, Mr. Heveraux. When I need your services again, you'll know."

And that was the end of that.

But the man had come through and in his hand; he carried the address of Natalie's last known home. What he would discover there, Eric wasn't sure. But if it would keep his mind from constantly racing, it'd be a well worth trip.

EWNEWNEWNEWN

"Are you Natalie's boyfriend?"

Eric glanced over to the old woman watching him from behind her neatly trimmed hedges. The street he stood on had a connecting line of suburban like houses looming perfectly over the clean street. Just the quaint location would have never allowed anyone to suspect a murderer lived there.

The blonde had been ready to force open the handle, but found to his confusion, the door had never been locked in the first place.

"I am," Eric stated, absorbing the elderly woman. "Could you tell me when she was here last? I have some clothes to get back to her."

"Oh," the woman muttered, placing a tired limb to her chest, "I can't say. It's been so long. But Natalie is such a nice girl. And friendly. In fact, she helped me get around the house after my accident. Even played Pinochle with me, God bless her."

Despite himself, Eric smiled at the words.

"When did Natalie first move in?"

"I remember that perfectly! It was my grandson's birthday and I tried forcin' the two together. I'm not sure who was more embarrassed. But that was...let me see...nearly a full year ago."

"And you can't recall when you saw her last?"

"I'm sorry. It really has been long. I've had so many trips to the hospital as of late and physical therapy keeps me busy. The last time I actually remember seein' her was...oh I don't know...three months ago?"

"You are sure?"

"I think so."

"Did she have another home here besides this one?"

"Oh I doubt it," the woman said, shaking her head solemnly. "Natalie was a young woman who hadn't gone to college. My grandson says you need connections to get by in this world. The poor girl didn't have any that I could see. But she did mention once about getting a job at the grocery a few streets down. By the time I remembered to ask her about it, she was gone."

Eric nodded, glancing over Natalie's home carefully.

"I hope you vampires treat her nice. I'd hate for such an intelligent woman to end up in a dumpster, drained of blood."

The blonde watched the woman retreat, legs shaking with each step against the dewy ground.

"You know I am a vampire?" Eric asked, unsure if he should feel defensive or open on the matter. Mostly, he was surprised an aged woman such as herself was able to pick up on it.

"Course I do," she replied shakily, legs wobbling, "you all have that look about you. Plus, Natalie was an activist."

"An activist?" Eric questioned, following the woman's movements on Natalie's lawn, "an activist of what?"

The old woman turned to him, eyes squinting.

"For vampire rights, of course."

Before Eric could ask any more questions, the woman's door swung open and a man in his mid 20's, ushered her inside.

"C'mon, grandma. We'll get the rest of the shrubs trimmed tomorrow."

"I was just talkin' to a nice young man over there. He's Natalie's boyfriend. Isn't that lovely?"

Eric watched the man's eyes find him. Distrust immediately fell over his features and within seconds, Eric heard the tightening and double bolt of the locks.

_An activist? Natalie Warren, spy for the Fellowship of the Sun, is a vampires rights activist? What kind of life was she leading?_

Drinking in her house once more, Eric fell back into his original path before the interruption.

Granted, the woman was ancient in years and her mind wasn't a preserved relic of events. Still, she seemed sane and stable enough to admit to what she'd observed. And according to her, Natalie was unemployed, sweet, and had no issues with vampires.

Cautiously, Eric climbed up the stairs and after a moment, pushed open the door.

The inside smelled clean and polished. Like Natalie had a habit of constantly keeping the place neat.

He shut the door tightly after him, making sure not even the lampost light could get through before beginning his search.

ENWENWENWENW

"What did you find?"

The woman turned toward Eric, the faraway gaze still prominent in her eyes.

"No one in the church has ever heard of a Natalie Warren."

Eric nodded. He was no longer shocked to hear this.

"And what of her parents?"

"No parents by the last name of Warren either. I even asked about members who'd been present for a long period of time. They told me the church only started up two months ago."

Now _this_ information surprised him.

_The old woman remembers last seeing Natalie three months ago. If this is true, Natalie disappeared before the appearance of the church. Why become an activist in such a small city? _

The blonde glanced around the street, but only a few cars passed by every now and again. Other than that, the street was a lifeless piece of concrete.

_Unless she did not run her work here. Unless this city was her haven in case angry residents in say Jackson, wanted to find her. Not all humans were willing to watch the marches without someone to blame._

"Go home," Eric ordered.

Nodding, the woman obediently journeyed down the sidewalk, nonethewiser of her involvement in vampire affairs.

Eric, on the other hand, was not happy. The story explained to him by Simon was a lie. Yes, vampires were masters of deception. It was in their nature. But to have a Sheriff do so to another Sheriff, angered him deeply. Natalie Warren was never a part of the Fellowship, nor were her parents. Yet, the human had backed up the story as well.

_Only because I gave her no other alternative._

Biting back this reasoning, the Viking allowed his anger to empower him. And minutes later, he was on his way back to Shreveport.

ENWENWENWENW

"You lied to me," Eric stated dangerously.

Before him, Pam was leaning against a wall, watching the scene. Natalie sat cross legged on the mattress, chin resting on her knees.

"About what?" she asked curiously.

"Do not play games with me!" he nearly yelled.

The same indifference graced Natalie's eyes and Eric wanted nothing more than to smash the human into the opposite side of the wall.

"Eric," Pam called, "what are you going on about?"

Quietly, the blonde vampire came to stand directly in front of the tired girl. He guessed it was sometime around one o'clock, but his kindness had long ago been extinguished. He'd keep her awake every day and night if he had to.

"You said you were a part of the Fellowship," he began levelly.

"No," she denied, studying his ferocious form, "your vampire friend said I was a part of the Fellowship. Would you really have believed my word over his?"

The same frosty detachment gripped on to her vocal chords, forcing the anger within the Viking to dissipate somewhat. But he did not release it so easily.

"I have learned you were a vampire activist. Is this true? And Natalie...I really would not recommend lying to me."

Natalie watched him for an unnervingly long time, eyes widening then closing. She reminded Eric of an inquisitive animal at the zoo, out-studying the specialist set to understand it.

"I was a vampire activist," she finally admitted.

"And you are not lying?"

The human shrugged.

"Since you can't glamor me, I guess you'll have to take my word. But I don't understand why what I have to say is suddenly relevant."

"Because the truth far outweighs the consequences of a lie."

"I like that," she mused. "That sounded very Socrates-like."

"Would it not be efficient to simply state the truth?"

Her wonder ceased immediately, and Eric physically felt the once open gate around her, seal itself off from the world.

"Like I said previously," she lightly responded, "you're not interrogating me to get the truth. Keep coming down here and believe you've got it all figured out. And I'll agree just because I don't want to disappoint you. But you're never going to get the events of what really happened. Ever. That's just something you have to deal with."

The blonde's glare burned holes into her head, but Natalie took the blunt force of the stare as if he'd been aiming it at her for years.

"I'm sorry," she voiced. "I'm really sorry, Eric."

She laid back down on the mattress, eyes falling back to the familiar ceiling.

He met his progeny's eyes, but her nonverbal recommendation of letting it go for the night, didn't register too well with him.

"I was inside your home in Forest."

The human's eyes stopped their searching, but her lips remained mute.

"And just when I thought it to be boring enough to burn down, I found something quite interesting."

Natalie pushed up to her elbows, eyes glued to his equally blue.

With a smirk, Eric pulled out a photograph. He scanned over the persons in it before finding her gaze. Then, he turned the picture toward her.

"A younger sister? This is my best guess," Eric offered, glancing between the human and the photo. "And quite delectable as well. Do you understand how easy it would be for me to find her?"

The human stayed silent, but her eyes let loose a silent rage.

"Put it away," she softly insisted.

"If you do not tell me the events of the night, I will find your sister-," Eric promised, glancing at the small scribble on the back, "-Sydney, and drain her. Perhaps afterward, I may offer her to the werewolves as dessert."

"Eric," Pam reprimanded, her eyes narrowed. "That's enough."

The Viking ignored the warning, eyes glued to the shaking girl below him.

"I can only imagine the soft virgin skin. Or perhaps not. Young girls are rather _ripe _these days."

Natalie still kept her lips sealed shut, but both of her fists dug into the mattress angrily.

"Please, leave her out of this," she tried again.

"It says here," the blonde read, his voice growing louder, "that her residence is with your parents in Indiana. I have not been north in a very long time."

"Eric," came Pam's warning again.

But Eric was too deeply immersed into the interrogation now. Hearing her plead and watching her crumble - two incredibly common weaknesses - served to egg him on further. The urge to bend, to break, to shatter the human into nothing but brittle, pale bone was overwhelming. The Viking inside him roared at the fulfillment, eager to see some sort of reaction. Good or bad, it did not matter. Just as long as _something_ happened.

However, the eventual burst of emotions did not come mentally nor psychologically, as he expected.

It happened faster than he had the chance to comprehend.

One moment, she sat trembling on her dirty mattress, the next, she lunged at him. A full bodied, animalistic lunge.

It was the force and his naked surprise at the action, which caused his body to crash backwards as soon as she'd made contact with his legs.

But she did not stop there. Within a half second, she successfully fought up his body and straddled his abdomen. With eyes snapped shut, she began throwing out punches as fast as her arms allowed her to. None of them hurt because she barely made contact with his face, but the few she had managed to connect with skin, snapped his head back with an impact he hadn't felt in decades.

"Sydney is not a part of this" she snapped, breaking through the pale arms attempting to grip on to her. "Hasn't your race done enough to me? Just let me die."

The next punch missed only because of his progeny's grip on the human from behind. Without much of a strain, Pam forced back both of Natalie's swinging hands and yanked her harshly off of Eric.

He glanced up at the human and found her eyes a blotchy red and teeth ready to tear into him.

"Go upstairs," Pam told him, eyes firm. "Let me calm her down."

Eric didn't argue, disbelief still riding over his features. It wasn't until he was safely out of the basement, that he wiped a hand across his face and witnessed the blood stained there.

Throughout her attack, she had torn open the cuts on her arms.

ENWENWENWENW

"Well...that was pleasant. If you ever leave me to wrap up that much blood again, I will personally see to shredding your clothes," Pam affirmed.

Eric watched her lick off some extra scarlet from her fingers before meeting her maker's eyes.

"That, if you couldn't tell, is why you're an ass."

"You know my methods," he maintained.

"And I do believe we agreed that your methods don't work in this case."

"I think the opposite. Look at the emotion I was able to get out of her. I may just use her younger sister as leverage to make sure she does not lie again."

Pam observed him for a long moment.

"Had you allowed us to continue before barging in with your hurt feelings about her lying, you'd know that Natalie's sister is dead."

Freezing, Eric's blue eyes traveled across the room. Whatever emotion quaked inside him, he'd go fighting to his grave to deny it was guilt.

"She could be lying."

"She wasn't," Pam argued, crossing her arms. "She has no reason to lie to someone who does not judge her on every action she takes. The human is actually quite charming. Even caught the slight English accent I thought I had buried. Not even a minute before you interrupted, she was getting ready to tell me about the rest of her family. That is neutral territory for her."

They both shared a long look with each other before Pam slumped off the tension in her shoulders.

"What did you find out in Mississippi?"

"That neither Natalie nor her parents are members of the Fellowship. Very much the opposite. Natalie is an activist for vampire rights."

Pam smiled at this.

"Other than her comment about our race having done enough to her, she really does seem more at ease around us."

"Which makes me wonder what has occurred to make her believe she'd been wronged by our kind."

"Strange that Simon lied to you about the Fellowship."

"I'd advise Sophie-Anne of this, but she is attempting to sort out any differences between herself and Russell. The last thing she needs is a crusade against Simon. It is odd I did not catch his deceit."

His progeny ran a hand through her bouncy locks, smiling.

"I think we've learned if someone wants to hide a secret badly enough, they'll do just that."

"Which brings us back to the beginning," he confirmed. "But without the false information. There is the relationship between Isaac and Natalie, undetermined as of now. The mysterious three month disappearance that may account for the wounds on her body. Then-."

Just as he was about to continue, a brutal shiver passed through him. He did not physically show the ailment, but his blood cried at the urgency of the sensation.

When Eric opened his eyes, Pam studied him with a shake of the head.

"Go see if your darling Sookie is alright."

The blonde wanted to stay rooted to the ground just to prove her wrong, but the shiver passed through him once again and he found himself remembering why he had tricked her into drinking his blood in the first place.

"I will be back," he promised.

Before Pam could reply, the Viking was gone.

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><p><strong>Let me know your thoughts in a review!<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for reviewing as always. Wonderful, wonderful inspirations they are. Makes me feel ready and confident to churn out another chapter. I did something a bit different with Sookie, but I hope you don't harp on the action I wrote for her. Otherwise, I hope your interest is still piqued. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

Although Eric had rushed to Bon Temps faster than necessary, this didn't prevent him from scanning the Stackhouse premises thoroughly before speeding up to the porch.

Before him, the reason he wasn't aware of Isaac's murder for three full nights, stood calmly from behind the screen door. Whatever fear or displeasure she'd felt, had disappeared completely and instead was replaced with a complacent hum.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not quite ready to open the door.

Eric smiled at this. At least someone felt unnerved around him.

"I felt your fear. But, you appear to be in one piece," he mentioned, eyes doing their preliminary scan over her.

Tonight, the barmaid wore something a bit more revealing as opposed to previous meetings between the two. Thigh length khaki shorts and a white blouse not quite covering her entire tummy, wrapped fittingly around. The rest of her golden flesh was left to his viewing pleasure, and this confused him. She had a habit of staying moderately clothed in his presence. Why the sudden bare flesh?

"Well I'm fine," Sookie quipped, crossing her arms, "and I'd appreciate it if you ran on home."

The Viking stood glued to his spot. A faint trace of surprise passed through him, but not at Sookie's dismissal. No, he'd been getting quite used to that. Instead, this surprise came at how at ease he felt at following her command. While the woman was a constant source of interest and had a body he'd enjoy spending nights worshiping, the offbeat attitude she displayed showed him she carried no interest.

Where once this would fire in a renewal to have her, Eric simply felt detached. He didn't know where this feeling sprouted from. He wasn't even sure if it was truly inside him as an honest form. But tonight, he had a mission to accomplish in the few hours left of night. And Sookie, for the time being - was not a part of that.

Admitting this to himself allowed an invisible part of him to breathe for a moment. Metaphorically.

"Enjoy your evening," Eric expressed, eyes taking in her form once more.

Just as he was ready to turn and sprint back into the night, Sookie's voice stopped him.

"Wait...you don't have to go."

Immediately, Eric's head signaled the abnormality of the statement.

"What of Compton?" he questioned.

The creak of the screen door opening, flowed into the night.

"Hell if I know anymore. Said he's gonna be at point A, but soon as I call, no one picks up. I can understand a full night, but a week?"

Eric didn't say anything initially.

While keeping an eye on Compton in the past weeks, the blonde discovered something quite startling. And even at the time, it made him bitter. But tonight, when remembering just exactly where he was and why he was there, this information ceased to anger him. Compton would marry her whether he could delay it or not.

"He's on assignment for the Queen," Eric lied. "It was good of him to mention he was leaving in the first place. I cannot say all vampires would trust humans so much."

The blonde heard her soft feet pad across the wood.

"He could have told me," she mumbled.

Turning, Eric took in the woman once more.

_Probably about Natalie's age. Maybe a year or two older._

Shaking off the comparison, Eric said, "Is there a reason why you require my presence tonight? If it is your bed you want warmed-."

"In your dreams," she choked, eyes narrowing.

But Eric felt something quite different. Through the blood bond, a surge of pleasure emitted from the telepath.

"Your body says otherwise," he noted.

Crickets chirped in the background, but the night remained silent. Sookie's brown eyes studied him carefully, and Eric imagined her next words were the reason why he was there in the first place.

"If you wanna come in for awhile-," she offered, but didn't complete the sentence.

And in a split second, Eric understood everything.

"You were not in danger."

"Don't mean I can't think of something worth being scared of," Sookie theorized.

"So why am I here?"

They studied each other for another quiet moment before Sookie shook her head and covered her stomach with a hand.

"I can't believe I was even thinkin' about-."

She was headed to the door shortly after.

"Compton's distance would annoy even the most patient of women."

He couldn't figure out why the words were spilling from his lips, but Sookie did pause in her movements as a result.

"His absence is for your benefit, even if you can not see it now."

The barmaid turned and gave him a full bodied sweep. She appeared just as surprised at his words.

"Making me feel like I just didn't lose my dignity? That's different."

"Don't get used to it."

She nodded, but smiled nonetheless.

"I'll think I'll call it a night."

Eric watched her venture back in the house. For a moment, his thoughts occupied the fantasy of him responding to her advance. But tonight, he knew not to pursue it. Not when something inside him was finally throwing off the fascination he held for her.

"Sookie."

The blonde woman met his eyes, hand hovering over the light switch.

"I am not trained to understand humans and their emotions," he admitted. "Nor do I usually care about them. However, you are a majority human and there is something I wish to know. Something I can't quite grasp the concept of."

"Now I'm startin' to get nervous," she laughed.

"What causes a human to hide the truth? And I don't speak of liars. They are self explanatory. I mean a human who has no reason to hide what occurred."

Sookie rubbed at her leg with a thumb, eyes bright and alert. She bit at her lip, then released and thought again.

"The pain of what actually occurred overwhelms any other possible choice."

At his confused glance, she went on.

"My friend Tara hides so much from the world. Bites it back and takes in a bottle instead. Cause she knows the consequences of what she does now could never outweigh the pain. Whoever it is that's hiding whatever it is you want to know…they're hurtin'. What actually happened, might not be something they believe everyone will understand."

Eric remembered Natalie's belief that he wasn't ready and wouldn't want to know what happened. Then Pam scolding him for pursuing the matter so aggressively.

"Did that answer your question?"

Giving a curt nod, Eric glanced at Sookie one last time before taking to the night.

ENWENWENWENW

When Eric entered Fangtasia, two vampires greeted him. One was Pam, stiff and unhappy. The other was Simon.

"Mr. Northman," Simon began, cutting off Pam, "could I have a word with you? It'll only take a minute."

"Of course," Eric replied evenly, "follow me."

Ignoring his progeny for the moment, the blonde allowed the brunette to follow him to his office. Once the door was firmly sealed shut, Simon's normally content grin, fell.

"You do not believe my story."

Eric didn't respond immediately. Instead, he strolled over to his desk, fingers skipping over the surface.

"No," he finally agreed, facing Simon, "I did not."

They took the other in carefully, and Eric was able to notice some features he hadn't the night before. The white scar stitched into Simon's cheek, drooped each time the man frowned. Which was probably the reason he grinned so often. The near coal black of his eyes suited his pale skin effortlessly and the shoulder length, brown locks kept the vampire's face embedded in a statuesque innocence.

_Perhaps he was once Russell's play toy._

This idea seemed to suit the vampire.

"You sniffed around my state," he continued.

"Considering you were not telling the truth, I'd say it was a well spent journey."

The brunette vampire didn't reply, and his features remained emotionless.

"Do not think you will be able to do so again. Unlike in Louisiana, we are loyal to those in rank. What you do on one end of the state will reach me within five minutes, on the other."

"Sophie-Anne will be less than thrilled to have such a juvenile, untrustworthy vampire ordering her Sheriffs around."

Simon blinked before offering up a grin.

"Actually, your Queen will be the first to give you the orders to keep out of Mississippi until the human is executed. Russell would certainly hate to tell the Magister of what occurred under your watch."

Keeping the vampire in firm focus, Eric threw his roaming fingers off his desk.

"I'd have thought Russell would use a more opportune moment to deliver the blackmail."

"I'm one of his favorites," Simon answered, lips rising once more. "Eric, I really have nothing against you. And I don't wish to either. My story may not have been truthful, but since when does it matter if a human viciously takes out one of our own? Which begs the question...how committed to this human are you...or to humans in general?"

Eric kept his lips pulled tight for a moment. The question threw him off and compelled him to analyze the vampire's worry.

Not even two nights had gone by and already, Eric not only felt different around the human, but was willing to glamor and go behind a Sheriff's back, just to attain the true knowledge of what happened. And the thirst for that knowledge seemed to encase in him a hunger he had no qualms at containing.

Simon's head had been set in a tilt, waiting for the answer. However, his posture stilled when his nose bent up into the air.

"The human is here," he commented.

The Viking watched this transformation curiously.

"Yes."

The brunette nodded, body relaxing back into his casual state.

"Remember this warning, until the human is gone. If you do not heed it, you may come to find life to be very unpleasant in Louisiana."

"Of course."

And that one took a lot of pride to say. Eric was never one for threats.

But Simon appeared satisfied and soon, the two were gathered at the front entrance of the club.

"I've always wanted to own one."

Eric glanced behind him.

"It successfully provides an entertaining evening."

Offering a smile, Simon scanned the club once more before soaring into the dark.

ENWENWENWENW

"You have my sympathy, Eric. The bastard quite literally has the upper-hand. Who informed you?"

"Simon. I thought to call and make sure the information was correct."

"It is," Sophie-Anne confirmed through the cell. "The human's death-day is in five nights. Just in time for my fitting. Too long of a time has passed since I've acquired attire for a public execution. I have not yet decided the method, but I'm sure you will be able to offer me some truly timeless suggestions."

Against his better judgment, Eric felt a sense of uncomfortableness pass through him.

"You should be aware Simon lied about his story."

"Such a shame nobody in that state wishes to speak the truth. But I am reaffirming the command. You are not to attempt to gather more information within the state lines of Mississippi."

"I understand."

"Good. If you can miraculously gather the answer before then, I would hold you in considerably higher regards. Otherwise, I hold nothing against you anymore. Do enjoy the last few hours."

"You as well."

Only when the device was snapped shut, did Pam finally speak up.

"A ban from entering Mississippi? How this mystery only grows deeper."

"I agree," Eric said, pocketing the cell. "Although normally indifferent, Simon was especially nervous about the possibility of me having found something."

Pam lifted up an eyebrow carelessly.

"Is that so? Just when I thought Natalie would fall asleep in the middle of her sentence, we heard Simon's voice call for you above. That's when the most peculiar thing happened."

"Oh?" Eric asked, seeing the glee within Pam's eyes. When she had information, the way she carried it out would be an event.

"Yes. She recognized it was Simon by name as soon as the vampire had spoken. Isn't that odd?"

"Very. Did she say anything else?"

"No. The dear thing stopped talking afterward. I had been able to steer her out of silence for a little while. Then, Simon came."

Eric absorbed the events of just the past few hours.

"Whatever secret Natalie hides, I believe it is because she is still in pain from it. Perhaps she truly did love Isaac and unfortunate circumstances befell them. We will not know and this sudden restriction from Mississippi will make our task far more difficult. Then again, you seem to have a talent of conversing with her."

Pursing her lips, Pam lifted up an eyebrow.

"She is your responsibility," she reminded. "When or if she's ready to finally talk, it will have to be to you. Perhaps convincing her you are not bipolar, may ease the tension she feels around you."

"Tension?" Eric said in amusement. "She hardly blinks at my intimidation. Besides the provocation of her sister, the human appears ready to die along with the knowledge of what actually occurred."

"That may be so. But as you mentioned, Mississippi is off limits. What other source of information is there besides the human? And I know you cringe at the thought of mingling for a long period of time with her, but you may actually find it to be reasonably interesting. I know any vampire would just because she is not affected by all forms of glamor."

He hated to admit it, but his progeny had a point.

The job of making a human feel comfortable was not completely foreign. Often, he and Godric made peace with the villagers of whatever area they'd inhabited. But to maintain that peace without draining any humans dry, would be a far more daunting task.

"We are not completely limited," Eric suddenly realized, stunned he hadn't thought of the idea earlier. "Isaac was a former Sheriff. While I may not be allowed to enter Mississippi, this command does not extend into Arkansas. Perhaps their current King or any of the Sheriffs remember the vampire."

"And I thought playing nice would anger you."

Eric revealed a fangy grin saved for moments when his progeny was being a pain in his ass.

"Remember your own strength as well, darling."

"My strength?" Eric said, remembering Natalie's aggressive collision with him.

But this snapping forced something to well up inside him.

Excitement that she'd do it again.

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><p><strong>I haven't really thought how many chapters I'm going to do. Definitely less than 20. But there's the whole business about keeping the flow of events in a realistic time setting. For example, it'd be weird for Natalie to spill out the truth the very next night. Or maybe it wouldn't. But I'll definitely try keeping it flowing. On the plus side, Eric's going to try and be...dare I say it...nice to his little captive. And the last sentence was just about how vampires are excited by battle. In this case, Eric found Natalie's action appealing to a vampiristic side of him. Let me know your thoughts in a review.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

**I've been gone for awhile, yes. There was another story I was determined to finish because I'd left it on hiatus for so long. Now that it's completed, I can refocus my attention. Although, the interest is mixed for this story, I will continue it because I feel like a part of me has to explore certain emotions in here, just to help me progress as a writer and to help explain this strange little story. So whether you like it or not, here's the next chapter. Also, I just wanted to mention from the last chapter about Sookie's attempted seduction. Basically, she was frustrated at Bill's absence. No call, no nothing. Knowing that Eric holds an interest in her, for just one night, she lets down her guard and tries to make due on the lust stirring between them. It's further spurred when Eric does the sort of "honorable" thing and moves to leave. Eventually, he asks her what she's doing and at that moment, reality comes slapping her back in the face. All she wanted was a momentary release, and while she may have been a bit selfish in the way she gained it, it's a fairly common mistake attributed to the lonely woman. I wanted to get that straight because some of you were confused about what had happened. Her use was to explain to Eric why exactly people held back details when they could potentially be so liberating. Enjoy.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

Even a full day of rest couldn't prepare Eric to face Natalie Warren again.

This time around, he had to make a noticeable effort not to lose his temper as well as mentally or physically scar her, all the while attempting to gain her trust. Which had to be achieved within five nights.

To say the task was daunting would be a severe understatement.

However, Eric found to his great confusion, that Natalie was a uniquely forgiving person. Toward him, at least.

"How did the day treat you?" he first questioned upon descending down the basement stairs.

He already knew the essentials courtesy of Ginger, but Pam warned him to ask simple questions at first. No need to relive what had occurred the night before.

"Good," Natalie expressed, bruised arms wrapped around her knees. "Ginger tried convincing me Ted Nugent was her uncle."

At his blank stare, Natalie elaborated.

"Singer and proud NRA member. That one song - 'Cat Scratch Fever, nuh, nuh, nuh, nuh' - Que guitar solo."

"Would Ginger's relation to...Ted...be considered something of a proud achievement?"

Natalie's brows furrowed and she expelled a sullen laugh.

"When Ted realized he couldn't have sex with the girl he was dating because she was way under the legal age of consent, he asked her parents if he could adopt her. They agreed, and from then on, he was able to legally have sex with her. Even though he was her guardian. You tell me whether that's something to be proud of."

Her interested gaze served the purpose to begin a conversation. Unfortunately, Eric was still uneasy at how calm she acted around him. Especially after the attack.

No one could simply flip on and off emotions without concealing some.

"In my time, it was not uncommon for cousins to marry. Royal families also wanted to keep the throne within their respective bloodlines. Brother and sister would join in matrimony, but their heirs rarely turned out normal. Often, this was the cause of many prominent families downfall."

The level of interest seemed to illuminate the sick paleness of Natalie's skin.

"Wow," she mumbled. "That's fascinating. You own this club, right?"

"Yes," he answered, pulling a nearby chair to him.

Once seated, Eric felt a bit of the tension sprint out of his shoulders.

"You could probably make a better profit by renting out your knowledge."

"In what way?"

Despite himself, the blonde was generally curious. Even if he didn't show it.

"Scholars and historians," was her response. "Think how many of them would die just to understand what happened centuries, even millenniums ago. And they'd pay incredible amounts of money to interview you. Or-."

At this point, her arms flung off the shelter she'd created and the blue in her eyes suddenly sparked animatedly.

"-if you have any artifacts from those time periods, you could sell them to museums. Honestly, you could make enough money to last you comfortably for another millennium."

Smiling, Eric clasped his hands.

"The problem with this theory," he explained, "are the memories associated. I have acquaintances who've considered this option, but ultimately, felt that the past needs to be buried for a reason."

"Why?"

"Because humans will come to find that their ancestors were far more vicious than they could imagine. And I assure you, those events will not be something this generation will be thrilled to hear."

"Well-," she pondered, biting at her lip, "-how about discussing the small things? Clothes, medicine, lost cities. There are historians strictly committed to those types of fields."

When her expectant eyes found his, Eric realized she wanted an answer.

"Perhaps," he finally replied, storing away the idea for Pam. Although not exactly sociable with humans in suits, she did love explaining how fashions had drastically changed over the years.

"Anyway, we need to hear the bad about ourselves so we can avoid those mistakes again."

This time, Eric's smile froze.

"Humans are a repetitive race," he informed slowly. "Even if the mistakes were to present themselves before you, you'd blindly make them again."

She visibly shivered at the coldness his tone had taken on.

In fact, Eric himself was surprised at the malice.

Then again, how often had any humans ever willingly discussed their own past mistakes? It was a greatly overdue topic he'd never had the chance to openly debate. Until now.

And since his bitterness toward humans had only increased over time, yet again, Natalie became the recipient of his anger.

"Don't judge the actions of the many by the actions of a few," she knowingly suggested.

Just like that, Eric suddenly couldn't retort with a sound argument. The words quite literally brought down his opinions like a cement tsunami.

A part of him did give her credit though. She chose her words wisely around him.

"Are you normally this...philosophical?" he asked.

"No," she admitted, lips stuck in between a smile and a frown. "Actually, I never really thought over ethics or morals or philosophies until after I put myself through college. As embarrassing as this is to admit, I was actually a bit naive. Maybe spoiled would be the better term for it."

"If you put yourself through school, how was it that you were spoiled?"

"Well...I suppose not financially. But I was under the impression that things would be handed to me once I got to college. I graduated second in my high school class, and colleges were impressed with my athletic abilities. I was quite sure I'd get somewhere with that and as a result, I ended up casting out my family. Moved to Mississippi, really enjoyed the Jackson State campuses, and eventually joined the women's soccer team. Went all the way to state my freshman year...lost to Mississippi Valley. Only because their top scorer was a bulldozer. And magically, the referees just happened to miss all of the penalties she'd crippled us with."

She took this time to release a breath, perhaps surprised at everything she'd divulged.

Eric was momentarily concerned that she'd stop. But all Natalie did was carefully inhale.

"Macy Brookens. What a complete and total-."

Crossing her arms, she tried to hide a smile threatening to surface. One hand moved over her mouth and quickly became concealed beneath her dirty palm.

"Anyway, being on my own made me a bit more prone to ignoring the realistic view of the world. I honestly thought I could have it all."

"Your claimed selfishness surprises me," Eric remarked. "What changed?"

For a split second, Natalie's eyes morphed into walls. No emotion could get out, nor in.

"A whole lot of crazy circumstances," was her slow response.

But she left it at that, arms finding their way back around her knees.

Instead, she abruptly changed the topic.

"I hope you don't hold me attacking you, as a punishable offense. Although, how much more punishment can I receive in my predicament? But you did provoke me. And I don't take kindly to people, vampire or human, threatening to murder my sister. Do you understand that?"

Eric studied her for a full minute, deducing which matter to pursue. The topic she'd initially spoken so knowingly of, then suddenly shut down, or this new one.

In complete seriousness, the woman was a complete mess. Emotions and intentions scattered everywhere.

Yet, he understood the same protectiveness in divulging the events of what happened to Isaac, shielding the events leading to her reawakening and release of being "spoiled".

If her story was true.

Which he hated to immediately assume it was, even when she dispensed it with such a brutal honesty. He couldn't remember a time when a human had spoken so nakedly about their own faults.

Normally, his club was filled with humans constantly displaying a mask of everything they believed others wanted them to be. This meant no faults could be shown, lest the mask cracked and the real human being living beneath, was revealed.

To so many, their plainness or mistakes were such a difficult aspect of themselves to accept because they had yet to accept those things themselves. They lived with the impression they were detestable.

But he wondered often whether these humans knew hiding their selves and showing off a false, alter ego was just as demeaning as burying what made them human.

This sort of puzzling trait within the broken woman, held his fascination like a butterfly beneath a cage. And unlike the one that fueled Sookie's, this one stemmed not from a sexual appeal, but intellectual. She understood what she'd done wrong, understood with a clarity how her mindset had blindsided her to what was occurring around, and rather soberly, accepted that.

No dodging the bullet. No procrastinating. No false mask.

She had made mistakes and she accepted them without a fuss of trying to hide them.

All of these swift revelations only fueled Eric's need to attain the knowledge of what occurred between herself and Isaac, that greater. How could an individual who seemed destined to rally for AVL meetings as a human representative, so mindlessly murder what she stood for?

_Never forget, she could be lying. _

While this thought did remain in the forefront of his mind, Eric also noted that had she wanted to lie, she would have continued with the story instead of pausing.

_In that case, to pursue it would be unwise. If she wants to avoid the subject, we will...for now. _

So, he became determined to answer her original question.

"If one was to threaten my progeny, I suppose I would have much of the same reaction," he concluded.

A buried relief fled the woman as she offered up a relieved smile.

"I don't want you to hate me."

Perplexed, Eric stood from the chair. The position quickly was becoming intolerable considering his normal routine included a lot more...physical tactics.

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm on my death mattress and you're my last contact with this world. I want to make an impression on at least one vampire and let them know not all humans are bad."

"I do not-."

"Please," she interrupted, glancing around the basement with a disdainful frown. "Do you really think this shithole is a lavish attraction for willing humans to wander into? You torture them, as obvious by the dried blood on the manacles and that smell of decomposing flesh you never seem quite to be able to rid no matter how much bleach you use. Whatever your misanthropic views toward humans are, know that my last dying goal is to change that. At least a little bit."

He tried to remain indifferent to her promise, but the level of devotion in her voice continued to reel in his fascination.

"Do you honestly believe you will be able to convince me that humans are actually peaceful? Remember what it is you've done. What you are sentenced to die for."

"That is true," she agreed. "And with my reluctantness to discuss what happened, I imagine you'll constantly be wary of me. But I live with the belief that one day, humans and vampires can coexist. And one silly human girl's promise to spread that sort of change, may just be enough for an ancient, pessimistic vampire to take notice."

Eric suddenly couldn't move a single muscle. Or maybe he could, but Natalie's words paralyzed him.

_She sounds just like him. So very much like him._

And not for the first time, Eric silently submitted to the intense grief he still carried from Godric's death. Only this time, he marveled in a way, how Godric would have been far more suited to interrogate Natalie as opposed to himself. He who saw humans as being below his own race. He who would have killed Natalie without a thought, had he been aware of her intentions, without giving the slightest of attentions to her provocation. He who saw his customers as nothing more than meals. He who held such a demoralizing perception of those that breathed, it successfully branded into his mind, a needed separation between the two races.

"You appear dazed," Natalie noted, eyes wide and inquisitive.

An angry grimace fell over his features. This was one thought he personally wished to keep private. If other vampires even began to suspect him of being morally supportive for humans, not only would his reputation be called into question, but so would his every action.

_But this was what Godric wanted me to explore. This is what he risked his own reputation and life for. _

"I am simply bored of this conversation."

Lie.

"Me too," she echoed. "It's a stretch to think you'd be fazed by my values. Then again, that's what quitters say."

She then laughed softly to herself, seemingly amused with her own words.

"What do you want to talk about then?"

"You already know," was his firm reply.

"Boring topic as well," she maintained. "In fact, you'll practically fall asleep it's so boring."

"That is impossible to do during the night for us."

"I know!" she exclaimed. "That's how boring it is."

But the next laugh shook her whole body and suddenly, Eric could nearly feel the bruises and cuts returning full force. Whatever momentary peace she'd had balanced within her body, was now wiped away.

And yet, she still remained physically unperturbed to the shifts.

"You have an incredible tolerance for pain," he mentioned.

When she didn't reply, the blonde realized he'd touched down near a sensitive topic again.

"It's impressive," he tried, circling her. "I'd actually be willing to hear your secret. Perhaps you could provide some backbone into vampire associates of mine."

Again, her lips were pressed together, making her nostrils do all of her inhaling.

Eric vented his own version of a sigh behind her, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Stubborn as well," he accused.

"If I were the interrogator, would you honestly divulge everything you knew right away?" she countered.

"Never."

"Then know my stubbornness is for both of our benefits."

"I am sadly lacking this point of view."

"You're an intelligent vampire. You'll figure something out."

When he came to stand before her again, he noted her expression to be at ease once more. Every so often, her lips did pull back in a frown, but he determined it to be from the pain she was attempting to hold back.

"All vampires are intelligent."

Raising both eyebrows, Natalie smirked.

"Okay."

"No passionate argument? I'm disappointed."

Shrugging, the woman's eyes scattered over the newly bandaged wounds inside her arms.

"My passion is sadly lacking tonight," she responded.

Sensing the same roadblock, Eric shifted over the conversation. The rotation of emotions were quickly becoming easier to pick out.

"How is it you are so at ease now around me? Last night made it seem as if you would attempt to kill me once more."

He wasn't sure whether the topic was sensitive, but he wasn't leaving the basement without an answer. Especially when he remained so bothered by the display and her motivation remained so unclear.

"I guess I tried reasoning it out in my mind afterward," Natalie mused tiredly. "You're under strict orders, probably from your Queen considering I've been passed around from one Sheriff to another. She obviously trusts you and to fail in your task would mean some sort of punishment, physical or otherwise. Casted out of the vampire community. Tarnished reputation. Etcetera. Once your own safety is threatened, gaining it back becomes the only goal. So my reactions are secondary as are the methods you use to attain your answers. Although, I don't understand why you just don't bend the truth. Nobody will notice, or hardly care. All the vampires want is a public execution. And I'm fine with that."

Eric gritted his teeth, displeased with the answer. Even when realistically, he could easily do just as she'd suggested. Simon, although his story was false, could easily be a reliable source for whatever sort of madness he prescribed Natalie to have.

But what bothered the Viking intensely was her last statement. She was alright with dying.

If she could withhold a secret through means of torture and threats, that indicated an intensive ability to persevere. And that ability to persevere fueled the instinct to stay alive. How was she so prepared to face death when the struggle to survive still raged inside?

_Perhaps I am giving her far too much credit. Inside, she may be just as emotionally dead as on the outside._

Again, he wasn't sure what to reply with. It seemed like a very one dimensional statement. She wanted to die and she was promising to cooperate with whatever story he deemed her to be involved in.

And that's when he realized something else about her willingness to die, bothered him. Maybe it was how selfish she had made him sound? Not to say he was exempt from that trait, but it seemed in the way she spoke, that being selfish was what defined him.

Whatever it was, he wasn't exactly in the mood to offer himself up an answer. Now wasn't the time to take apart his own intentions.

"Eric?"

Breaking away his gaze, the blonde shifted his attentions to the top of the stairs. The door had been cracked open only a few seconds ago.

"Yes?"

He was hoping his progeny would understand the displeasure in his tone and close the door.

"We've got a slight problem," she voiced in the language he'd taught her so many decades ago.

"What is it?" he replied, definitely unhappy now.

Earlier in the night, he'd left her in charge with the club. It couldn't withstand another night of being closed down, especially if he wanted this year's profits to surpass last year's.

"Russell Edgington is here."

His surprise was overtaken by the sharp gasp Natalie had let out behind him.

Immediately, he turned to her.

"Did you say Russell Edgington?" she asked, voice devoid of any graspable emotion. In fact, her face was meticulously clear. Something he'd have applauded her on had they not been interrupted.

"What does he want?" Eric questioned, still speaking in tongues as he observed the dark haired girl's unflinching stare.

"He wants to see our captive. He's...enticed by a vampire's inability to glamor her."

Twisting his head back, Eric's lips nearly recoiled into a sneer.

"He is aware," keeping his tone level, "that she can be glamored? Only the events of what occurred, are shut out."

Pam crossed her arms, eyes narrowing.

"Well aware. Bring her up before he-."

"Is that her?"

Both progeny and maker froze as Russell appeared at the ledge of the stairs. Always regally dressed, his eyes were focused completely on Natalie.

What spiked Eric's dislike for the King was the interference with his own language. The vampire hardly possessed the fluency to speak it.

But for his own sake, and the entire population upstairs, he refrained from any form of critique.

Before he could welcome the King, Russell was at the bottom of the stairs and quickly approaching the worn woman on the mattress.

Eric met Natalie's eyes for a second, and swallowed back his concern for her. Whatever the vampire wished to do, he'd have no say in denying the request. To do so would displease the vampire as well as Sophie-Anne and that would instigate an unnecessary headache.

"Hello," Russell greeted, extending a hand. "I am to understand that you know who I am."

Natalie's eyes scurried from face to his hand. When she didn't take it, Eric nearly apologized for her.

Instead, Russell shook his head like he'd expected that all along and simply continued his observation.

"I am here," he drawled, clasping his hands behind his back, "to seek the truth. Even moreso, I'm concerned that your...how shall we say this...actions were a consequence of unfavorable timing."

He didn't elaborate on this, and Natalie didn't ask him to.

"Would you mind desperately if I had some alone time with Miss Warren?" Russell questioned, for the first time, turning to Eric.

If the King's words weren't a loaded warning, the expression in his eyes were.

"Of course," he ended up replying, helpless either way.

"Wonderful. This shouldn't take but a moment and I promise I'll have her in one piece in time for her...well, we'll see what happens," he grinned.

Eric purposely avoided eye contact with Natalie. All he knew was if he met her equally blue eyes, there would be a silent accusation there. Perhaps not easily seen, but it'd be there nonetheless.

_I am sure this is giving her a better impression of us. _

Once at the top of the stairs, Pam quickly pushed in the door behind them.

The sudden blare of the music, odorous smells, and throbbing veins, slammed into him. But Eric payed no mind.

"When did he arrive?"

"Not even five minutes ago," she hastily informed. "He came alone and assured me that Sophie-Anne was alright with his visit."

Gritting his teeth, Eric glanced back at the door.

"The entire fucking state should be banned from here," he nearly growled.

"Concerned about what's going on down there?"

When he didn't answer, Pam too met the oppressive door.

"I have a distinct feeling...not pleasurable in any way...that the basement will not nearly be as recreational after this."

And just as soon as they'd left the King to his own device, the basement door sprang open. Russell stood there, but Eric couldn't place the emotion on his face.

"I am finished here," he announced over the noise of the club. "But it is fascinating to know, as I am sure both of you are aware, how dark her mind is. Truly a shame such a rare trait will be put to death."

"Glamor did not work?" Eric asked, already knowing the answer.

"Not for the answers I was searching for. I guess I had to see it for myself."

He didn't explain how he came to know the information.

"Thank you for allowing me to see Miss Warren, Mr. Northman. Your cooperation will not be forgotten."

As an afterthought, he held up a finger.

"And I would love to be the first to know just what exactly happened that night. Simon's judgments have not always been known to be clear."

"It is looking to be exactly as he described," Eric lied, modifying his tone. "My presence inside of Mississippi was unfortunately, wasted."

"Hmm," the King thought over, "well once this matter is settled, I would be more than honored to allow you passage back in, provided you allow me to offer up a personal tour."

Grinning through the obvious attempt at flirtation, Eric placed a hand on the vampire's velvet, red coat.

"I would enjoy that."

EWNEWNEWNE

He nearly had to command Pam to stay upstairs. Sometimes, her curiosity rivaled his own.

"Keep an eye out," he had urged. "I do not want any more surprise appearances."

Eventually, this had deterred her.

Once he was in the basement, Eric took in Natalie all at once. Physically...well, she appeared the same.

"What did he want?"

Natalie glanced up, eyes steady.

"Just tried glamoring me," she assured. "Cursed in...German maybe...when it didn't work."

"That is all?"

"Yep."

"You are aware of what happens if you don't tell me the truth?"

"No, I'm not. Considering I'm going to die regardless, your threat has no significant relevance. But, I understand your request and I am telling you that for some reason, he traveled all the way to Louisiana just to determine I truly could not be glamored. Isn't that strange?"

Eric wordlessly agreed.

"Is it alright if I get some sleep?" she asked, forcing back a yawn. "All of this...excitement has made me tired."

"Yes."

He then paused, theorizing over how Pam would handle the situation were she in his position.

"Thank you for telling me about yourself."

The words sounded so foreign from his own lips that he nearly believed himself to be someone else entirely. But they did come out regardless and needed to be spoken if only to guarantee a form of openness established between the two.

"You don't have to say thank you," she said, observing his strained features. "But I appreciate the sentiment. Until tomorrow, Eric Northman."

Her dismissal was graceful and ended with her plop onto the mattress. Shortly after, her eyes glued themselves together.

_How much confidence she must have to slumber before a vampire._

Taking one last glance at the woman, Eric sped back up the stairs. For now, he would respect her need to sleep.

Unfortunately, the rest of the night would be long and for once, he wasn't looking forward to appeasing some brainless girl's fantasy. All of his thoughts, even as he tried denying their relevance, were solely focused on Natalie.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope no one got too mad about Eric's internal reflections. Or thought them a bit much. Let me know your thoughts in a review.<strong>


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